I’ve read bits and pieces of a book I picked up at the library recently. It was hard to read the entire thing because the author is way too wordy and more technical than I expected from the book’s description. I picked the book up just because the subtitle caught my attention. As a lifelong swimmer, one who loves being in the water, I couldn’t pass it up. The book is Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols, but the subtitle is “The surprising science that shows how being near, in, on, or under water can make you happier, healthier, more connected, and better at what you do.”

Being around water is a stress relief, and it’s no wonder people like to go to the ocean, the beach, the riverside or the lake for a vacation. I’ve always thought of the water as stress relief; to me it’s swimming; to my wife it’s the sound of a babbling brook.

The following quote is a great one on stress that I had to include here. The author’s prescription for lessening stress is water. I partly agree. I would say Sabbath is the real answer, the answer God gave centuries ago but we tend to ignore, and water can be a big part of Sabbath.

Too many of us live overwhelmed—suffocated by work, personal conflicts, the intrusion of technology and media. Trying to do everything, we end up stressed about almost anything. We check our voice mail at midnight, our e-mail at dawn, and spend the time in between bouncing from website to website, viral video to viral video. Perpetually exhausted, we make bad decisions at work, at home, on the playing field, and behind the wheel. We get flabby because we decide we don’t have the time to take care of ourselves, a decision ratified by the fact that those “extra” hours are filled with e-mailing, doing reports, attending meetings, updating systems to stay current, repairing what’s broken. We’re constantly trying to quit one habit just to start another. We say the wrong things to people we love, and love the wrong things because expediency and proximity make it easier to embrace what’s passing right in front of us. We make excuses about making excuses, but we still can’t seem to stop the avalanche. All of this has a significant economic cost as “stress and its related comorbid diseases are responsible for a large proportion of disability worldwide.” (p22f)

There is a documentary coming out on the life of J. I. Packer. Some of his books have had a big impact on my life. His Knowing God is on my “top ten books ever” list. My wife sent me a link to the trailer, and this is what the man says about himself in it. Great words; great legacy.

As I look back on the life that I’ve lived, I would like to be remembered as a voice — a voice that focused on the authority of the Bible, the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the wonder of his substitutionary sacrifice and atonement for our sins. And, if your joy matches my joy, as we continue in our Christian lives, well, you will be blessed indeed.

Although I’ve given you the entire text of it, you can watch the trailer here if you would like.

November 12, 2015. I noticed that this link now leads to a 20 minute video of J I packer in his own words. It sill ends with the quote above, though a fuller version of it. The entire video is worth the time to see.